“Sharply written, with characters that readers will be happy to see again.” –Kirkus Reviews

Blood Line (Book 1) is a high-voltage spy thriller that redefines rogue–the Granger Spy Novel series introduces a loving family with lethal issues caught in the crosshairs of global arms dealers.

When a simple home invasion turns out to be not so simple, Ron Granger must put aside his quiet rural life and return to the Central Intelligence Agency.

Aided by his brilliant wife, Valerie, and resourceful teen daughter, Leecy, Ron must quickly decide who to believe among the calculating opportunists, shrewd criminals, and power-hungry rival agencies racing to possess the technology that will change modern warfare forever.

But when Leecy is kidnapped, Ron and Val must choose between the mission and a rescue. With time quickly running out, Ron only knows one thing: When you can’t trust anyone else, trust your family.

One lucky fan will receive an audiobook of Blood Line and Bloody Truth by John J. Davis along with a $100 Target gift card. Enter today for a chance to win.

John was interviewed recently and some interesting questions were asked…

What literary character is most like you?

I turned to the AbeBooks.com character quiz to determine what literary character I am most like. The results…Romeo from Romeo and Juliet. I have to agree – I am passionate, a gentleman, I love deeply and I’m not afraid to show my emotions. I make my intentions known and do not back down if I’m forced to fight.

If you could have any accent from anywhere in the world what would you choose and why?

If I could have any accent, I would want an Italian accent. I just like the way it sounds.

Characters are often written into situations they aren’t sure they can get out of. When was the last time you found yourself in a situation that was hard to get out of?

We would love to hear how you would answer these questions.

Oh and enter the new giveaway!

Tell us about Blood Line?

Short answer – a family of spies. The father is ex-CIA, the mother, ex-Mossad, and the daughter is coveted by both agencies.

Blood Line carries two inherent meanings. First, the bloodline of the families, the DNA; the genetic material that makes the characters who they are. Second, the bloodline indicating death. The father’s past as a one-man kill squad for the CIA, and the mother’s past as an assassin for the Mossad. Both indicating the future path of the daughter, maybe. But when coupled with the first interpretation of the title may mean the daughter’s future is already written.

Why a family of spies? Why not a lone figure like James Bond, or more recently, Jack Reacher?

I wanted to do something different, and I thought, as with the two examples you citied, the lone male hero had been done so well. I was inspired by my wife to create a strong, independent female character. My daughter is similar to my wife in so many ways that she inspired the daughter in the book. Two smart women that can do anything they want to do. After that it seemed natural to make them a family of three.

Why not just write about the women? Why bring the male character into it at all?

I thought about that, and being a man, I didn’t want to assume I could write in the voice of a female character. No, what I thought I could do was write in the voice of a male character that has deep respect and admiration for the women in his life. I felt I could use Ron Granger’s voice to tell the stories that allowed the women in his life to take center stage and shine. It’s how he sees them. They’re better than him, and they make him want to be better than he is.

Tell me more about Ron Granger?

As I thought about Ron and his character- what he truly is- the John Wayne movie The Quiet Man came to mind. It was my grandparent’s favorite. I still watch it on occasion, and my wife loves the movie. I wanted Ron to be like that. Just some guy standing next to you in line at the checkout counter, and you have no idea who he is or what he is capable of doing. No flash. No signature drink. Just a man. But I also wanted him to have a secret like Mr. Wayne’s character had in that movie. A burden he had to carry. I chose to saddle Ron with a childhood disaster that he kept quiet, if you will, his entire adult life. That is, until he met Valerie.

What does Ron see in Valerie?

She’s everything to Ron and everything he is not. The Yin to his Yang, like the Chinese Guardian Lions. The lions are essentially identical to each other, just as Ron and Val are similar to each other. As for what Ron sees in Valerie, Valerie’s confidence and self-assurance appeal to Ron. He sees those attributes as a great inner strength – which he thinks he lacks. Sure, he’s physically imposing, but flawed in that he hasn’t yet learned how to process what happened to him as a child – which, by the way, is revealed in Bloody Truth, the second novel in the Granger Spy Novel series. It’s through his relationship with Valerie, his equal and his better in so many ways, that he finds the peace and strength he’s searched so long for. She didn’t need him, yet she wants him. She picks him, and he’s honored by that. He wants to measure up to what Valerie sees in him, even though he feels he is deeply flawed.

This childhood disaster you mentioned for Ron, can you tell us any more?

Only that it’s the genesis of Ron’s rage, which is the one thing he dislikes most about himself, even though it’s the very thing that kept him alive all those years as a one-man hit squad for the CIA. He strives to keep it under wraps, but eventually something happens that causes him to let go and stop controlling himself. Then the one thing he never wanted his wife and daughter to witness him capable of, he’s forced to put on display.